


Cappuccin-O

by 6_Binx_6



Series: The Daily Grind [3]
Category: American (US) Actor RPF, Original Work, Real Person Fiction
Genre: Abuse, Abusive Ex, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Bathroom Sex, Blow Job, Coffee, Coffee Shops, Eventual Smut, F/M, Filming, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, Lust, M/M, One Night Stands, Oral Sex, Past Drug Addiction, Romance, Self Loathing, Slow Burn, Work In Progress, drama queen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-03
Updated: 2017-12-07
Packaged: 2019-01-29 01:32:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12620124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/6_Binx_6/pseuds/6_Binx_6
Summary: A diva queen barista and his best friend encounter two Hollywood actors by mere chance. As he tries to help his best friend over come her fears and actually live for once, he soon finds himself getting wrapped up in the same emotions. He may not run away from every socially agonizing experience like his friend, but that doesn't mean he isn't freaking out just the same.**Written just as a fun story for those who are curious about Stephen's side of things**





	1. Late Night/ Early Morning

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sunrayriver](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunrayriver/gifts), [Deersexual](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deersexual/gifts).



> This work is dedicated/gifted to two people who are truly awesome. 
> 
> To sunrayriver, because your work inspired me so badly, that without you I wouldn't even attempt writing this. 
> 
> To Deersexual, because you gave me the idea for Stephen to have his own little telling. Now his voice is in my head screaming like a diva and stating I'm an ass for taking so long to write this. 
> 
> This is to you guys, I hope it's a fun read. Thanks again!
> 
> If you haven't read it yet, Del's story 'Espress-O' is actually the first one. If you read that and then this, you'll get the gist of some of the back story. I'm going to try and make it so that's not COMPLETELY necessary, but we'll see how it goes.
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are appreciated! 
> 
>   
> 

Stephen yawned as he opened the door to his apartment. It was small, yet homey and he was glad it was the one sanctuary he had in his life. There had been other times when that wasn't the case, the best example was living with his parents for sixteen years. Shutting the door behind him, he glanced at the clock on the far wall. It was just a little over an hour before he had to get to work and open the shop.  
  
"Jesus, I thought I was never going to get out of there." He sighed and tossed his keys on the kitchen counter as he made his way to his bedroom. Since his best friend and co-worker, Del, had gotten her own place a couple of weeks ago, it still hadn't registered that he could bring his one night stands back to his place again. After the last fiasco of him getting hot and heavy in the shower when Del was crashing on his couch, he'd made it a point to follow his one night stands to their place. It would probably take a while before he would bring anyone here again. Del being here was actually a godsend in a way. It showed him that the playing field for a thirty-year-old gay man was getting to be a pain in the ass and he found that he just didn't want to play it anymore. This last endeavor had been a cute little Latino who knew how to salsa dance, and man, could the boy move his hips.  
  
Stephen pulled off his sweat-soaked shirt from dancing at his favorite club downtown. It also reeked of sex and booze, which was not a good smell no matter who he had been with. He wasn't a drinker, his drug of choice being heroin, so the occasional drink just didn't seem to matter. He was still sober two years and counting from an overdose, it had really scared the shit out of him. Del had come to his rescue again, despite her man at the time being a complete ass about it.  
  
Stephen chuckled, shaking his head as he pulled off the rest of his clothes and started the shower. Meaningless sex was the only thing that kept him sane most days. But now that he'd had a break with Del being around, he came the realization that what he wanted more than anything, was an honest to god relationship.  
  
Correction, a good relationship. One that wasn't one-sided or abusive, which pretty much all of his relationships had been in one way or another. One that wasn't about cheap meaningless sex and finding someone to cuddle with for a few hours. Even with his parents, the good Catholics that they were, had been abusive. Del was truly his one refuge and he missed her being here in his apartment. It felt lonely and Stephen didn't do loneliness very well; which now that he didn't want to keep doing what he had always done...  
  
It was a fucking pain in the ass...  
  
Hopping into the steaming shower, Stephen scrubbed off the grit of the night and soon felt refreshed and ready to start his work day. Stepping out and wrapping a towel around his hips, he dried his somewhat floppy hair with another towel. He really should cut it, but he was used to its length now and how it framed his face. His bright hazel eyes looked energetic and relaxed, definitely a side effect of last nights activities.  
  
Stephen left the bathroom and went to his kitchen where he pulled out a simple protein shake and downed it. He wasn't much a breakfast person, so the shakes were the way to go. Taking another glance at the clock he sighed, he better get a move on. The radio on the drive home from south Reno said there was a movie crew filming downtown. He was super curious to know where they were filming, but the radio had only stated it was being filmed on Virginia street downtown. Maybe with any luck, he could scope it out after work if Del didn't want to hang out. Maybe he could get in some good eye candy.  
  
Quickly getting ready, he pulled on his jeans and his red work polo with the name of the coffee shop, The Daily Grind, stitched on it. Staying out all night might not have been the best thing, but he felt pretty good, riding his however many 'second winds' he was on.  
  
Once dressed, Stephen left his apartment and locked the door behind him. The drive to work would only take about ten minutes so it wouldn't be too bad. He also lived on the first floor, because he decided a long time ago that stairs just sucked. He didn't get how Del could deal with living on the seventh floor. Yuck.  
  
Stephen slid into the driver seat of his little red Honda, it may have looked tacky, but it drove like a champ. Starting the engine he slowly pulled out of the lot and took off headed towards work. He'd be getting there a little early, but it wouldn't be too long of a wait until Del would get there. Then the lonely feeling that had slowly started to seep in once he got home would be gone for a few hours. Maybe longer if he convinced Del to come over and maybe go out with him to the club tonight  
  
Hopefully, she'd say yes...


	2. Best Day Ever

There was a mess of people who wanted coffee this morning and Stephen was loving every minute of it. Especially when he realized right off the bat that they were serving the movie crew that was filming in downtown. He was a grinning fool, professional of course, but grinning none the less. When the next man stepped up to order a brevé, he paused instantly recognizing Chris Pine.

Stephen was a gritty mess and had a hell of a time containing his excitement. He took his order, passed it to Del and tried to ignore the sweat that was starting to soak through his shirt. He watched Del out of the corner of his eye as she gave Chris Pine his coffee and did her famous nervous act. It was clear though that she was nervous because he was a good looking guy and not because she recognized him.

Good god, she was a ditz. Stephen laughed to himself as they finished up the last of the orders and then turned to Del as the last customer left. He was laughing at her red beat face and happy eyes. It was good to see her relaxed, her last relationship had been a real big fucking headache. For multiple reasons.

"Holy shit, that was rough!" Del laughed as she began to wipe down the counter and clean the espresso machine. She had accidentally spilled coffee on herself and was covered from the waist down. The floor in front of her was still sporting the dark spot where a good chunk of it had landed.

"Hell yeah, it was. I'm surprised you didn't fall over yourself at the end there." Stephen was grinning as he started running the tape on the till. With any luck, she was completely oblivious to having just served a hot and sexy famous actor.

Del blinked and frowned, looking slightly put out at his teasing, "I'm not a newbie, I know how to kick ass on orders."

Stephen snickered and shook his head. His blonde, sweat-soaked hair flopping around his ears. "That's not what I meant. I meant when you gave Chris Pine his coffee."

Del raised a brow as she continued to clean up her area. "Who?"

"Oh my god! One of the hottest men alive stands in front of you, and you don't even recognize him? Jesus, you've been living under a rock haven't you?" Stephen faked mock surprise, hand on his chest and eyes fluttering. It was his best southern debutant impression and it made Del laugh.

Seriously, how one person could be so clueless was always a surprise to him, but that was part of Del's charm. He hadn't been lying earlier when he said if he wasn't a gay man that he would date her. She was a bit bull-headed, freaked out about silly things and a bit of a worrier. But she was a selfless person, smart and a hard worker.

"No, I don't live under a rock. I don't have a tv anymore remember? Dip-shit saw to that." Del's laughter died at the end of her sentence as she spoke and the brightness in her eyes faded a bit.

It was no secret that Stephen secretly despised all of Del's relationships on a certain level. She dated assholes who liked to use her and treated her like crap. Honestly, it was partly her fault for dating them. But then again, she never approved of his relationships either.

Some of them had been pretty bad...

"I'm sorry sweetie, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories." Stephen frowned slightly as he closed the drawer and walked over to her. He wrapped his long arms around her giving her a quick hug. He was taller than her by a good few inches and fit snuggly against him.

"Hey, it's fine. You saved me by letting me crash on your couch." Awkwardly, she slipped out of his arms and started to adamantly wipe down the counter once again. Stephen didn't fight her and instead, slipped by her to flip the sign from Open to Closed.

It really was a shame that their little coffee shop only stayed open till noon, though it was currently passed that. The owner, Peter, refused to change the hours. Stephen had tried to assure the old man that they would make more money. But he was a retired army vet who was an excellent gambler. The only reason he had a coffee shop was that he and his wife loved coffee. His wife, Maggie, had died just two years ago but still kept the shop running.

"So," Del cleared her throat a little, trying to make an effort to sound happier, "Chris Pine?" She said curiously

Stephen grinned, laughing as he turned back to her. This was the fucking best. It was always a good day whenever he could tease her about her lack of pop culture. He shook his head as he walked back and hopped up on the counter to sit. Del hopped up on the other side and they sat side by side, each leaning back slightly to see the other better.

"Seriously, this is the fucking best, you're so damn dense." He was still grinning, enjoying teasing her.

She punched him hard in the shoulder and Stephen made a huge showing by rubbing the spot and wincing while laughing. She was pretty strong for a girl, though he'd never in a million years tell her that. She'd kick his ass faster than you could say 'fabulous'.

"Stop teasing me Biscuit Boy and spill it." She gave him her best mother hen look and he laughed, happy and loud.

"Jesus you're rough." Sticking his tongue out at her, he gave her a big toothy grin. "Okay, remember a few months ago when you came over and we had that Star Trek marathon?"

"Hell yes, I do." Del grinned back, she was so nerdy it was just fucking cute. Normally, when she was dating someone they would only hang out rarely. Especially this last asshole, who was at the top of Stephen's shit list.

When they did hang out, he always made lots of home cooked food and had nerdy marathons. The last big one being Star Trek. They watched all of the movies, starting with the originals and working all the way up to the new ones with his favorite heartthrob of all time, Zachary Quinto.

Say what you want, but the man was sexy even as a Vulcan.

"Chris Pine was the Captain you ditz. James Kirk."

"No way! That guy didn't look anything like him..."

Del slowly stopped speaking, her face slowly shifting to one of realization. It made him laugh. That look was fucking priceless! So worth teasing her over.

"My god. Seriously, you are a ditz."

Del stuck her tongue out and crossed her arms, mimicking his previous behavior. "Well, I was working. I can't notice things like that. Hell, I already spilled coffee on myself earlier when trying to make Walter's double shot." She gestured with her hands to her stained pants and apron. Her black shoes were still splattered.

"Besides," she continued, "he's a famous actor. It was probably a relief that a woman wasn't bombarding him to get an autograph."

"Yeah well, if this movie they're making has Zachary in it and he doesn't come and get a cup of coffee during filming, I swear I'll have a freak out session."

"Drama Queen." Del laughed and rolled her eyes as Stephen looked mock offended.

A knock on the glass brought both of their attention to the front where a petite woman with sandy hair was standing. Dressed in jeans and a simple grey t-shirt, she smiled and waved. It was clear by the headset and clipboard in her hands that she was part of the film crew.

Stephen raised his eyebrows as they both hopped off the counter. Del disappeared to the stock room in the back and he walked quickly to the door. Unlocking it, the woman smiled at him. She looked young, but there was an air of experience about her

"Oh good! You guys are still here. I'm sorry about all of this, but the crew was raving about your coffee and a good chunk of them are asking if you'd be willing to make more, just for them. I've been authorized to pay you double for any inconvenience. And of course, we were wondering if you'd deliver it."

Stephen smiled, "Well, I'll have to check with the owner first. He doesn't really like us staying open past noon. Would you like to come in and wait?"

"Yes, that would be great."

Stephen let her in and locked the door behind her before turning back to her. "I'll be right back."

The woman nodded as Stephen made his way to the stock room where Del had a handful of coffee supplies in her arms. Picking up the handle to the crusty old rotary phone that hung on the wall, he could barely contain his excitement. He was planning on checking out the filing crew later, but this... This was so much fucking better!

"What's going on?" Del asked curiously.

"Gotta call Peter. Apparently, the crew wants more coffee and they'd like us to deliver it!" He was practically giddy with excitement as he dialed and put the receiver to his ear.

"Wow, that's huge." Del blinked.

"You bet your sweet ass it is. We are going to be on a film set!" This was turning out to be a great day!

"Sets are for studios, this is a film _location_. Get your verbiage straight." She laughed as he waved her off and immediately started speaking to the owner, Peter, who had picked up.

"Peter!" He said excitedly, "You're not going to believe this."


	3. Ex-Memories

Stephen was so pumped to be delivering coffee to the film crew that he almost missed Del's nervousness. She really needed to come out of her shell. So many of her relationships had been about taking advantage of her that it made her shy away from new experiences and people. She needed a little excitement.

Scratch that, A LOT of excitement.

He poked her and reminded her to smile and relax, but when Katie appeared again Del froze. Stephen couldn't stop his chuckle as he chatted with Katie, taking the pressure off of Del. It was a habit now, to rescue her from awkward social situations.

Katie offered them a tour and they took it. Well, it was more like he was dragging Del with him. He chatted with Katie about the movie, she wasn't able to give too much detail. But regardless it was interesting to see the inner workings of how a movie was made. While they walked Stephen was glancing around, trying to see if he recognized any actors, so far he'd only seen crew members. Ah well, that was to be expected.

What was to be expected was the fact that his favorite, sexy, actor was working on this movie.

"Did you say, Zachary Quinto?!" He was trying to keep his composure, but the fangirl within him was just too excited.

He loved Zachary Quinto, he was such a great actor. He was funny and seemed to have a little bit of that dark, bad boy side that Stephen just couldn't get enough of.

"You've done it now." Del laughed as she spoke to Katie.

"Yes, Chris and Zach are both working on this project. I don't think we'll be able to see them," Katie looked over her clipboard, grinning. "But I'm sure we can get you two some autographs or something."

"Oh. My. God! Yes!" Stephen was giddy as a high school girl and Del chuckled at his excitement. This day was getting better and better every minute.

The headset on Katie's head made a noise and she hit the button on the side, listening. After a moment she nodded and grinned at them both as she spoke back, "Sure, no problem. Think we could get a couple of sigs for our coffee champions?"

Stephen and Del exchanged glances, grinning at each other. A signed autograph by the sexiest man, in his opinion, was going to be his. He would have to find the perfect place in his apartment for it.

"Alright, looks like we've got an okay on those autographs. You guys are open tomorrow right?" Katie asked, her eyes bright with amusement at Stephen's antics.

"Yes, every day of the week except Sundays." Del chuckled as Stephen did a small victory dance on the spot.

"Great, I'll have them by then and I'll make sure you get them okay?"

Stephen pulled Del into a surprised half hug as she nodded to Katie, "Yes! Oh my god, I can't believe I'm going to get an autograph from Zachary Quinto!"

* * *

Stephen went home after they cleaned up the shop and stocked the front. Del was acting a little weird when they got back. But he figured she was still a bit rattled from all the excitement. And damn if it was exciting! He was going to be the proud owner of an autograph from Zachary Quinto and he'd gotten an up-close look at a movie production.

Tossing his keys on the kitchen counter, Stephen began humming happily to himself as he made a quick sandwich. Turkey, tomato, mayo and just a touch of mustard. It was simple, but he'd found throughout the years that it was simple food that was the best.

Stephen's phone buzzed in his pocket just as he took a bite of the sandwich. Tapping the security code in, a text popped up.

DON'T ANSWER: **Who's a sexy bitch?**

Cringing, he ignored it and set his phone down. That number was labeled as 'Don't Answer' for good reason. Ex-boyfriends or whatever the hell their relationship had been were a pain in the ass. Especially this one, who had been the bane of Stephen's existence since high school, Derek Adler.

Stephen took another hasty bite of his sandwich, a knot growing in his stomach. Derek had been Del's crush for three years in high school. Derek was the star quarterback at their school and like any star athlete, he was extremely good looking. He was also the biggest asshole on the face of the planet. And also a closet homosexual like Stephen was at the time.

They fooled around a lot in school, mostly because Stephen was fucked up all the time on heroin and Derek was an angry, repressed boy. Stephen liked it rough and Derek liked to give it rough, to the point where Stephen would come home with bruises. Never where anyone would see, at first. But as time went on, it got worse.

Much, much worse.

By the time they were seniors, Stephen wasn't sure if it was love or if he was scared Derek might kill him if he stopped their little rendezvous. He did his best to avoid him, sinking deeper into his heroin addiction. That didn't work out so well. The fucking bastard played dirty when he invited Del to the Prom and humiliated her in front of the entire student body.

You did not fuck with people Stephen cared about.

The phone vibrated again, rattling faintly on the counter. Stephen huffed, irritated as he tapped in his code again and read the next text that popped up.

DON'T ANSWER: **Come on babe, I miss U. I know U miss me. ;-)**

"No, I miss the idea of you," Stephen growled softly as he locked the phone again. Why was it that every time he changed his number, it was seriously only a matter of time before that fucking ass found it out and started texting him again? Yet, Derek hadn't changed his number since high school. Like he wanted Stephen to pick up, knowing it was him.

Fucking Christ...

The sad truth was he thought he really loved Derek. Even after Stephen got clean, Derek was like another form of his addiction. And no matter how hard Stephen wanted Derek to be his, it just never worked out. He was used and discarded as easily as one of their shops to go cups.

Even though he swore after the prom incident with Del that he'd cut all ties with him, Stephen would crawl back to him when he was at his lowest. In those times, Stephen almost turned back to using.

If it wasn't for Del, he probably would have too.

Stephen lost his appetite, setting the sandwich down. Now he was pissed off, irritated and...

Fuck...

Stephen rubbed his hands in his floppy blonde hair roughly. He needed a distraction. A good distraction – one that entailed music and a lot of dancing. Del had already turned down his invitation to go clubbing.

Stephen left the phone on the counter and walked back to his bedroom. He was definitely going to the club tonight. He needed to clear his mind from all this fucking history. But first, he desperately needed a shower and some sleep. He'd go out later after he wasn't ready to stab someone in the face.


	4. Cornered

The music was loud, the beat thumping hard and making Stephen's body vibrate. There was something about being in a room packed full of people, altogether moving to the overly loud music that made Stephen forget about his problems. It was therapeutic in a way, almost like resetting his brain.

When he danced, it didn't matter that he was lonely. It didn't matter that he struggled constantly with slipping back into his addiction after two years. It didn't matter that in the morning he'd probably be faced with another one night stand that made him feel empty. Right now, he felt alive and Stephen tried to live in the moment as much as possible.

After a few songs and dancing with a small group of people, guys and girls alike, Stephen slipped away to grab a bottle of water to cool down. He was sweaty from top to bottom, but it didn't matter because everyone else was too. He flirted with the bartender a little, nothing serious. He wasn't looking for someone tonight. Tonight it was about getting his mind off of Derek and all the other painful memories that crept up while he showered earlier.

Deciding to take a quick bathroom break and splash some cold water on his face, he finished his water and made his way towards the back of the club. Just as he opened the bathroom door, a familiar song came on and the crowd of people started to rally. Stephen grinned to himself, he'd be quick so he could get back out there.

The bathroom was empty for the most part, there was just one guy using the urinal with his back to Stephen. The noise was considerably less and Stephen had a faint buzzing in his ears as he went to the sink and turned it on. The cool water was refreshing and felt good on his face. Drying off, his face was a little pink from all the dancing, but his hazel eyes looked finally calm after all the irritation from the afternoon.

"Well, there you are." Said a dark, deep voice. It rose the hair on the back of Stephen's neck as his eyes whipped around to look behind him.

The unceremonious flush of the urinal drew his attention and Stephen swallowed hard.

"Derek." He managed to keep his voice level, but just barely. There was a sickening feeling of want and fear that had Stephen's stomach churning as he met Derek's dark blue eyes. It had been a long time since he'd last seen him. He hadn't changed either.

Derek gave Stephen a dangerous looking smirk that sent a small shiver down his spine. His dark blue eyes traveled up and down Stephen's body, his messy brown hair a touch longer than the last time he'd seen him.

Fuck this was bad, how the hell did he know he was here?

Derek zipped his black jeans and walked towards Stephen, who was pressed up against the sink and gripping it behind his back. Stephen was tall, yes, but he was incredibly lean. While Derek was muscular and a little taller than him. His sharp jaw line was smooth, with just a simple goatee making him look more delicious than Stephen wanted to actually admit.

"What do you want?" It took all of Stephen's strength to sound normal. He knew his eyes were too wide as he stared at him, but he just couldn't get his face to cooperate. He never had been a very good liar.

Derek pressed in close, letting himself invade Stephen's persona space. God, he smelled good, like sex walking. Silently cursing, Stephen made himself side step to get away from him as he shook his head.

"Ah babe, you know I like it when you run like that," Derek smirked wider and Stephen narrowed his eyes, glaring.

"What the fuck do you want Derek?" He said again, his voice sounding surer of itself. The music outside the door was still thumping away and Stephen prayed that someone wound come in soon.

Derek shrugged casually as he gave himself a quick look in the mirror, the vain bastard, before turning once again to look at Stephen.

"I'm here to relax of course. A little birdie told me that you'd probably be here tonight. I noticed you have really gotten good at dancing." The more he talked the closer he got to Stephen and the more Stephen stepped back until he was right up against the wall.

Stephen started to sweat for a whole different reason now as Derek invaded his personal space yet again. Caressing Stephen's jaw line with a finger tip. Stephen shuddered involuntarily and could have kicked himself.

Derek saw the reaction and grinned, whispering as he leaned in closer. His lips hovering just over Stephen's. "I knew you missed me."

Stephen tensed as Derek closed the small gap, kissing Stephen hard to the point where he felt his teeth start to bruise his lips. He struggled for all of two seconds before Derek hand his arms pinned to his chest.

Panicking Stephen looked at Derek wide eyed with his heart hammering in his chest. There were only two ways this was going to go, either Stephen was going to do what came next and try not to have a psychotic episode later, or he was going to continue to struggle and Derek would hurt him until he ended up doing it anyway...

With a lot more bruises...

Derek gave Stephen a possessive look, letting one of his large hands hold Stephen's wrists almost painfully as he wrapped the other hand around his throat. Slightly squeezing, Stephen felt the panic turn to excitement, self-disgust slowly on its heels.

Stephen hated that he was getting turned on by the rough abuse, he knew he shouldn't be. He knew deep down that he was just going to get used again like all the other time Derek Fucking Adler showed up randomly in his life.

Derek kissed Stephen again, still rough, but he was ready for it this time. He opened his mouth and kissed Derek back. Stephen couldn't stop the groan that slipped out as he felt Derek press against him, causing his pants to rub his already swollen member.

Derek chuckled lowly as he broke their, too rough, too slobbery kiss to gaze at him with a glint in his eyes. "That's my sexy little slut. I was wondering where you were."

Stephen swallowed hard as Derek suddenly jerked him into the nearest stall and closed the door. Excitement, fear, and being turned on was making Stephen pant slightly. Derek kissed him again, harder than before drawing another deep groan from him.

Unbuttoning his own jeans, Derek pulled them down with his boxers to expose his swollen hardness. Stephen glanced down briefly, already knowing what was coming but it was like a train wreck. You knew how it was going to end and no matter how bad you wished, it wasn't going to stop. Derek grabbed a handful of Stephen's blonde hair and forced him to his knees into the floor, lining himself up against Stephen's mouth.

Stephen didn't hesitate as he took the man fully into his mouth, letting his tongue work in circular motions against the shaft. Derek moaned faintly as he gripped Stephen's hair harder as he met his mouth with his own thrusts.

Distantly Stephen felt his brain shut down, somewhere between when they first got into the stall and the sound of Derek unzipping his pants. The next fifteen minutes were a blur as Derek continued to thrust in and out of Stephen's mouth. There was a lot of talking on Derek's end.

Things like...

"Oh god, I missed your sexy mouth."

And...

"Suck harder."

And so on.

All in between moans as Stephen sucked him off in the club bathroom. God what a fucking disaster.

With a shudder and a few quick jerks, Derek emptied himself into Stephen's mouth thrusting hard to the back of his throat. It was all Stephen could do not to gag and instead swallow. The truly fucked up part in all of this was Stephen still had a massive hard-on.

Derek let Stephen go, letting him sit back up against the side wall of the stall as he righted his clothes and zipped his pants. Stephen stared at the handle on the back of the toilet, unfocused.

Without a word, Derek unlocked the door to the stall and left the bathroom leaving Stephen where he was. The bathroom door closed softly, cutting off the suddenly increased volume of music just as his phone vibrated in his pocket.

Half aware of his surroundings, Stephen slowly reached in and pulled it out. Tapping in the security code, a text message popped up.

DON'T ANSWER: **Thanks for the fun. C U next time.**

He was going to have to change his number again...


	5. Distraction

Stephen left the club as quickly as he possibly could after that. Part of him was crying on the floor in that bathroom at the club, the other part was completely numb. If he'd been more of a drinker, he probably would have gotten wasted after that. But what he really wanted was to numb the fuck out.  
  
There was only one thing that would do it...  
  
Which wasn't an option...  
  
So...  
  
After arriving home, Stephen peeled off his clothes, which smelled like sweat, Derek and a cramped bathroom stall. He showered in the hottest water he could stand, because no matter how much he scrubbed it still felt like he was on the floor of that bathroom. After an hour, he finally felt clean and came out red as a lobster.  
  
Wrapping a towel around his hips, Stephen cleaned the steamed up mirror off so he could look at himself. His hazel colored eyes looked haunted and tired. He would have given anything to have not of gone to the club tonight. He wasn't sure who had ratted him out to Derek, probably someone from high school who had spotted him. He hadn't seen any familiar faces there, but that didn't mean anything.  
  
Stephen rubbed his face, he was going to have to change his number again. That much was obvious, he was also going to stop going clubbing for a while. If Derek knew he went to that club frequently, he'd be there waiting for him. It was just lucky that he didn't know where he lived. Though he wouldn't put it past him to follow him.  
  
Stephen groaned and rubbed his face again, trying desperately to get rid of the past pain. With a final glance in the mirror, he left the bathroom and got dressed in a pair of baggy sweats and a neon green shirt that Del got him for Halloween one year. 'I'm FaBuLoUs' was written in weird script above a zombie dressed as a drag queen.  
  
It was one of his favorite lounging shirts.  
  
Curling up on the couch, Stephen turned on his TV and began surfing Netflix, after a moment he found what he was looking for.  
  
"Yes, let's forget this shitty night." He snuggled down into his lumpy couch, wrapping an old afghan his grandmother had made him when he was in middle school around himself. Comforts of home, that's what he needed.  
  
The movie started, he wasn't really into Star Trek, but there was something about Zachary Quinto as a Vulcan that was just sexy. He chuckled to himself, pretty soon he'd be the proud owner of an autograph from him. It may have been a shitty night, but the day had been great. Hopefully, tomorrow would be better.  
  
Stephen yawned as his eyes started to close, he was emotionally and physically exhausted.  
  
"Tomorrow will be better."

* * *

Stephen was woken up by the sound of his tv blaring the news. Blinking blurrily at the bright screen, he was greeted with the Channel 2 news crew going over the highlights of the day. Ugh.  
  
Sitting up, Stephen winced as pain shot through his neck. Sleeping on his couch was never a good idea, he'd probably be stiff for the rest of the day. Standing he started to stretch, it was probably about time to get ready for work anyway. Just as he was about to turn off the TV the current story caught his attention.  
  
" _Well, Reno has been buzzing with Hollywood filmmakers lately. Our own Daniel Red has the story_." The blonde new caster said as the screen cut to a lanky looking man in a brown suit standing outside of Circus Cirus.  
  
" _Thanks, Gina. Hollywood has once again landed in Reno to start production on Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto's new movie. Filming started yesterday on Virginia Street, blocking it off for a good part of the day. Filming is scheduled to continue for the next few weeks until the cast and crew ship back to California to continue studio shooting._ "  
  
The new caster, Daniel, smiled showing a dazzling smile.  
  
" _While the current filming is exciting, it's not the talk of the town though. Chris Pine was seen having fun at our own Circus Circus with an unknown woman. Now it is unclear if she is just a fan or his newest girlfriend. Sources report that the there was romance in the air as they played games in the arcade area..._ "  
  
The screen cut to a series of pictures and Stephen just about had a heart attack. There was no way that was Del walking hand and hand with Chris Pine. It was defiantly her though as he looked closer. The next picture was of them inside the arcade and she was hugging him...  
  
"What the fuck?!"  
  
Stephen snatched his cell phone from the couch, hitting his code in rapidly he was already scrolling through his contacts before he realized that Del didn't have a phone anymore.  
  
"Damnit. She really needs to get a phone!" Ugh!  
  
Stephen ran to his room, irritated that she hadn't at least stopped by his apartment to dish on this bit of news. Seriously?! Just what was she doing with Chris Pine anyway?  
  
Stopping suddenly, Stephen frowned as he had his pants partly on. Del looked unbelievably happy in those pictures. He'd never seen her look like that, not even with him or her ex-boyfriends. Stephen slowly grinned, oh this was good. This was just the thing she needed to get some excitement back in her life. Shaking things up a bit for her and hell, even if she could have a little bit of happiness that would be the greatest thing in the world. She deserved to be happy.  
  
Besides, this was just the kind of distraction he needed from fucking Derek Adler.  
  
Stephen quickly finished getting dressed and rushed out the door. He may have wanted her to be happy, but that didn't negate the fact she wasn't the first to tell him. He was going to give her hell for this.  
  
So much hell.


	6. Autographs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for those of you who have read Espress-O if this seems a little redundant. However, since there are areas where Del's and Stephen's story over lap I kind of had to do this. The plus side is, this will be the last chapter for a little while like this as it's going to get into more of Stephen and Zachary. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!

Stephen thought long and hard about what he was going to Del for punishment on his way to work. He’d have to do it just right to get his point across and inflict some good teasing and fear into her. Honestly, you’d think he had some weird addiction to teasing her. That probably wasn’t too far from the truth when he thought about.  
  
After he had barreled into the shop and demanded to know why his best friend was keeping secrets and why she was macking on a famous Hollywood actor; he let the room fill with silence.  
  
It was clear that Del was a complete mess over the article in the paper. He didn’t have the heart to tell her that it was all over the tv as well. She attempted to explain as non-hysterically as possible about the events after they parted ways late yesterday afternoon. By the end of it, she was almost in tears and holding the Reno Gazette in front of her like it was poison. She was so cute when she panicked.  
  
Stephen decided that the appropriate action as to let her stew for a bit. He grew silent as they both prepared to open the shop. Most of the work had been done the yesterday before they left, but Stephen wanted to think this whole Del and Chris Pine thing.  
  
Honestly, when she explained it, it did sound like some weird fantastical day that just kind of crept up out of nowhere. The more she went on, getting lost in her recount of the events by lingering just a touch too long on how happy she had been, Stephen knew she was a goner. Unfortunately, Del and Stephen had the same problem…they fell in love way too easily. He wouldn’t be surprised if all of their ‘falling in love’ with the worst possible people turned out to be just imaginary on their part.  
  
After the mad rush of the morning had finally died down, which did not include the movie crew this morning much to his disappointment. Stephen decided that he should ease Del’s worries and get her to calm down. She needed to relax and calm down. And honestly, if Chris Pine was interested in his friend and he wasn’t a douchebag to her, he’d bless their happiness with tossed flowers and a pink tutu.  
  
Stephen glanced over as Del finished up the last order and began to wipe down her area. Grabbing a piece of paper he used to hen scratch various orders, he balled it up and threw it at her. She seemed to have spotted it out of the corner of her eye and the moment she turned, it hit her right in the forehead. It startled her enough that she let out a loud squeak that had Stephen laughing.  
  
"What the hell Stephen?!" Del rubbed her head and adjusted her glasses, giving him a glare.  
  
"Seriously, you are a space cadet." He grinned at her and leaned against the counter. Man, she was too cute.  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever Queenie." She teased back, laughing. Her shoulders relaxed a little, a sign that she realized Stephen wasn’t mad at her.  
  
Stephen crossed his arms over his chest still leaning against the counter. He grinned his sexiest grin at her, "Don't you forget it."  
  
Del laughed and shook her head as she began to wipe down the espresso machine and counter once again.  
  
"So you're not mad at me anymore?" She asked. Stephen chuckled and nodded.  
  
"Oh, I'm still pissed at you. But I've been witness to 'Ms. Morris and her socially awkward blunders' before. This just adds to my already running list of stupid shit you've done."  
  
"Jeez, and here I thought you'd have some kind of awesome wisdom to make me feel better."  
  
Stephen shrugged and held up his index finger, "One, I can't make you feel better when you obviously don't want to. Your face has shifted through every possible human emotion from self-loathing to giddy ass high schooler."  
  
Del frowned and stopped wiping down the counter, her mouth open in protest. Stephen grinned and shook his head.  
  
"Just listen," he held up a second finger. "Two, I have amazing, kick-ass wisdom. It was hard earned by previous misdeeds, of which you were witness to."  
  
Stephen gave Del a knowing look and she smiled softly. Drug addiction was a bitch. Stephen secretly thanked Del every day for helping him get and stay clean. It didn’t matter that she didn’t feel that she really helped, she had in his eyes and that was all that matter.  
  
"Finally, number three," holding up the last and final finger. "You need to kick that stupid brain of yours to the curb and stop overthinking things. Running away because you were embarrassed was fucked up. I'd say apologize when you see him, but who knows how long that will be, if ever."  
  
Del frowned, "He said I apologize too much."  
  
Stephen grinned and laughed as he nodded, "Again, classic Ms. Morris behavior. You always do that when you like someone. Apologize for stupid stuff because you feel inadequate."  
  
Del's mouth dropped open as she stared at him, "I do not!"  
  
"Oh yeah? Then why is your face starting to turn red?"  
  
Del snorted at him and turned away in a silly attempt to hide the blush that creeping up her cheeks. Allowing her to dignity, Stephen started stocking some to go cups from one of the boxes down below.  
  
"So, do you think that Katie chick will bring you your autograph?" Del asked.  
  
Stephen smirked, "You mean 'our autographs'. And if she doesn't, I'm going to stalk that film crew until I get it. I've got a place picked out on my wall for Zachary Quinto."  
  
"Oh my god. Seriously? Jesus, you're a fucking super fan." Del laughed as he gave her a sad pouty face. Which was hard because he could feel the laughter wanting to escape.  
  
"That's just mean." Attempting to keep from laughing, he pushed out his bottom lip into full-on pouty face mode, "I'm only doing what any normal person would do."  
  
"I'm pretty sure you aren't normal."  
  
"Neither are you sweet cheeks." Stephen grinned as he said his pet name for her since puberty and Del groaned.  
  
"Yes, I have a big ass. Thank you for reminding me."  
  
The door opened just as she spoke and two customers walked in. Stephen and Del immediately stopped what they were doing to take care of the customers. Turning, both of them stopped mid-motion to stare.  
  
Holy…  
  
Shit…  
  
There, not more than a couple of feet away on the other side of the counter stood Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto. Zachary Quinto was wearing a simple t-shirt and shorts while Chris Pine was wearing a button up short sleeved shirt and jeans. Zachary’s dark hair and eyes were a stark contrast to Chris’s and Stephen felt his stomach drop about two feet lower than where it normally sat.  
  
Zachary’s eyes shifted from Del and then to Stephen, as Chris grinned and spoke to Del, "Hey."  
  
Stephen blinked as Zachary’s eyes seemed to lock on his, the barest smirk tugging at the edge of his mouth. It was enough of a look that it made Stephen’s mouth go a little dry.  
  
Okay, breathe damnit. Stand up straight. Don’t gawk. And don’t be too much of an ass.  
  
A quick glance at Del told Stephen that she was in worse shape than he was and if the look on Chris’s face was any indication the feeling was mutual. Stephen mentally slapped himself, the King of Hotness aside, he had to step up and save his friend from social destruction. She looked like she was going to run out the back door and never look back.  
  
It was actually Zachary Quinto who spoke first, surprising Stephen.  
  
"So these must be the 'coffee champions'." His voice was smooth, deep and slightly clipped. The tone was filled with amusement however as he looked between Stephen and Del. Stephen had to keep himself from melting right there, his voice was so much more rich in person.  
  
Hot damn…  
  
"What?" Del said looking a little too bug-eyed as she attempted to get a grip on herself, "What are you doing here?" She half whispered to Chris as she bit her lip. Jesus, if she only knew how that looked to a guy she probably wouldn’t do it. As if on cue Chris grinned at her wider, clearly enjoying her shocked reaction to his presence.  
  
Good god, you could practically cut the awkward sexual tension with a knife. Time to throw Del a lifeline…if only a small one. She’d have to learn to swim sometime.  
  
"That's just rude Del," Stephen said as he slipped out from behind the counter to introduce himself.  
  
"Hi, my name is Stephen Bradley. It's nice to meet you." He held out his hand and shook both of their hands the way that Peter had taught him how; professional and confident. The problem was he couldn’t stop the goofy self-conscious smile the moment Zachary shook his hand.  
  
"Huge fan of your work," Stephen said, cringing internally. The way he said it screamed fan girl from a mile away. It was obvious he was nervous as was Del as she ran her fingers through her hair nervously.  
  
"Thank you, it's nice to meet you too," Zachary said, smiling in turn and Chris nodded as well. Stephen managed to not look like a complete moron as he let go of their hands. He wanted to slap himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. Seriously, Zachary looked hot and whatever cologne he was wearing was musky and dark…  
  
He really needed to get a grip. Thankful Del was a good distraction from his own personal social blunders.  
  
"Uh," Del said, her voice sounded high pitched and nervous. It was clear that despite her anxiety and nervousness, Chris was totally into her. The man wouldn’t stop looking at her as she swallowed a little and adjusted her glasses. Forcing herself to stand straighter and smile she managed to sound somewhat human when she spoke.  
  
"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Quinto."  
  
Stephen gave Del a thumbs up and a big smile. He was glad she was at least attempting to work through her issues. He watched as she blew a little sigh out, making her bangs shift slightly.  
  
Zachary grinned and extended his hand, and when Del took it he gave it a little shake. "It's nice to meet you too. Chris was telling me how bad you made him look at the arcade."  
  
Stephen had to stifle a laugh, which was a lot easier said than done. Zachary was so blunt that it made Stephen seem like a pushover. Del stiffened, a horrified expression on her face.  
  
Chris chuckled and shrugged, "It's not a bad thing to be shown up by a woman playing a first-person shooter."  
  
"He's just saying that so I'll stop giving him shit about it." Zachary offered up a toothy grin, which made Stephen stare a little bit more than he intended to. Damn, even his teasing side was charming.  
  
If Stephen ever managed to get an actual relationship that wasn’t abusive and completely fucked up, he hoped that the guy would be kind of like Zachary; confident, smart, sexy, a touch of smart ass and just a hint of possessiveness to keep things lively.  
  
Good god, his imagination was running away from him again. He didn’t even know if that’s what the man was like. Zachary Quinto was a very famous actor, who just so happened to be standing in their coffee shop. That was it. End of story.  
  
"So," Chris said, as he set down two large yellow envelopes on the counter that neither had noticed, "We were informed that we needed to sign some autographs for our coffee champions. Since we have a delay in our schedule, we decided to come down and do it in person."  
  
There was a mischievous glint in his crystal blue eyes that had Del’s face redden a little.  
  
Stephen practically bounced up and down with excitement, "Holy shit! Really? That's fantastic!"  
  
Chris promptly pulled out a few headshots, two of each of them. Zachary pulled out a couple of sharpies from his pocket without a thought and passed one to Chris. Uncapping the sharpie, Zachary gave Stephen a cool smile.  
  
“So, what would you like for it to say?” His voice was a little softer and deeper as he spoke. Stephen grinned excitedly, his heart pounding a little.  
  
“Anything is really fine. Just make sure it’s made out to ‘Stephen’. I’m just really excited that I’ll actually have an autograph, not to sound like a creep, but I’ve been a big fan of yours for a while now. Being a gay actor I’m sure has its own challenges I’m sure, but I remember it took a long time to come out to my family.”  
  
Stephen rattled on as he did sometimes when he was super excited and ended up saying much more than he intended. He seemed to realize that he was talking a mile a minute and promptly shut his mouth. Zachary smiled, looking calm and collected and not at all phased by Stephen’s chattering. A moment later Stephen noticed that Del was rattling on too. Zachary and Stephen both smirked at her, it was one thing for Stephen to rattle on, but Del doing it was too damn cute.  
  
Which of course lead to Chris watching Del with a soft smile on his full lips.  
  
Del proceeded to stumble through her words as she talked with Chris and Stephen took the opportunity to watch Zachary a little more. The man was actually a little intimidating in person, which surprised Stephen a little. It wasn’t even intimidating in the usual way he was used to, no this was more like Zachary knew who he was and was comfortable in his own skin. Stephen had never felt like that. Even now he didn’t feel like that.  
  
Briefly, the image of Derek Adler swam up from the dark hole of his mind and Stephen tried to stuff it back down. Now was not the time to think about the many fucking problems of his life. Right now, he was going to enjoy meeting these two awesome celebrities.  
  
Within moments Stephen and Del had two large envelopes in their hands with autographed photos of the two actors. Stephen was ecstatic. He not only had an autograph from his favorite actor but another one from his bestie’s crush AND had gotten to meet both of them. This was a great fucking day.  
  
While Del was trying to figure out what she was going to do about Chris, Stephen chatted idly with Zachary about the movie they were shooting. He learned that the movie was about two hitmen who ended up going after the same target and end up becoming partners. The way he explained it, actually seemed like a movie Stephen would have enjoyed. It was strange though, about halfway through the conversation Stephen started to forget that Zachary was an actor. He was actually very easy to talk to and surprisingly, Stephen didn’t feel like he was less than Zachary. He felt that they were literally just two people talking, no hidden agenda. It was…nice.  
  
It was at this point that both of their attention was drawn to Del as she started to ramble again. They both looked at her with amused faces.  
  
"Is this the apologizing thing you were talking about?" Zachary looked at Chris with a smirk on his lips.  
  
"Oh, there's a reason for that." Stephen grinned.  
  
"Shut up, Queenie," Del growled. Stephen to batted his eyes at her sweetly.  
  
"Oh really?" Said Chris, bring her attention back to him. "Well, since you feel so terrible about the whole situation, how about you make it up to me by hanging out with me later?"  
  
"What?! Why?!" Del practically shouted in surprise which made her face flush causing both Zachary and Stephen to laugh.  
  
Chris chuckled, "If you want you can bring Stephen with you."  
  
"Absolutely!" Stephen was practically bouncing. Maybe Zachary would be there too and they could all hang out together.  
  
"Whoa, whoa. I thought you said you were working? Aren't movie productions really time-consuming or something?" Del was clearly trying to get out of hanging out with Chris. Though Stephen could tell she actually wanted to hang out with the man more. Silly little girl.  
  
"I mean, what about your girlfriend? If more pictures are taken won't that cause a scene? I'm not even sure how you got here without being mobbed."  
  
Chris shrugged, "I don't have a girlfriend."  
  
"But you said..." She said, surprised.  
  
"Nope, you assumed. I just didn't want to correct you so you wouldn't run again." The mischievous look in his eyes had Del looking a little mushy around the edges and Stephen saw his opportunity to force Del to live a little.  
  
"Don't worry, we will definitely hang out." He said grinning broadly.  
  
"What?!" Del could have slapped herself for all the surprised yelling she was doing and Zachary grinned at her.  
  
"You might as well admit defeat. I don't think you're going to win this one."  
  
Del looked like she was going to fall over from Zachary’s words and Stephen found himself grinning at the actor. Seriously, if they hung out for any length of time he could see them both giving Del a hard time to the point where she’d implode. Stephen quickly scribbled down the numbers to his cell and the shop phone.  
  
"Right. So here's my number. Del doesn't have a cell phone right now so you can either call the shop or call me. I'll make sure she is there." Stephen handed Chris a piece of paper with the numbers on it.  
  
"But I..." Del began, only to be interrupted.  
  
Chris grinned and pocketed the paper giving Del a charming smile, "Great. I'll see you soon then."  
  
Zachary gave Stephen a smile and nod, “It was nice meeting you.”  
  
Stephen smiled back, “You too.”  
  
Stephen watched as the two left the shop and Del looked like at any moment she’d fall over. Meeting Zachary aside, he was just happy that someone (who wasn’t an asshole), had taken an interest in his best friend. He wanted Del to be happy, even if that meant only for the moment. He just hoped that Chris Pine was serious about Del and didn’t just ditch her the moment the movie production left town. He didn’t want her dreams of a good relationship crushed like his.  
  
Please just let this workout…


End file.
